


Love Heals All Wounds

by AnimeFan299110



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst and Humor, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Cross-Posted on deviantArt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Healing, Jaune hates the Branwens, Tai trains Jaune, Teasing, alternate universe-slight canon divergence, from all of volume 4, or rather hates Raven and doesn't trust Qrow, slow burn Jaune Arc/Yang Xiao Long, to volume 5 chapter 6
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2019-10-03 22:57:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17292983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimeFan299110/pseuds/AnimeFan299110
Summary: AU. Instead of going with Ruby, Ren, and Nora to Mistral, Jaune Arc decides to stay behind at the Xiao-Long/ Rose residence in order to cope with Pyrrha's death. With some side help from Taiyang, can Jaune and Yang deal with their losses and, in turn, find solace and comfort in each other? Slow-burn Dragon Slayer.





	1. Staying Behind

**Hey guys, this is AnimeFan299110, coming to you with the newest fandom story in my lineup. I wanted to make an AU Dragon Slayer fic because there are so few out there and I feel that with has happened between these two blondes, they could help each other heal.**

**As per usual, I do not own the rights to RWBY, its characters, or locations. They are all owned by the good folks at Rooster Teeth and, of course, the great and powerful Monty Oum. Wherever you are, Monty, this is my way of saying thanks for creating such an amazing show.**

* * *

Jaune Arc sat on the edge of his bed staring down at the ground with a sullen look on his face. It had been several days since Beacon Academy had been attacked by Grimm and the once prestigious school fell to Cinder Falls and her gang of cronies. Many people, including some of their classmates, survived and escaped, but others were brutally killed by those horrid beasts. Jaune, along with his teammates Nora and Ren, were able to escape and ended up at the house of Taiyang Xiao-Long, Yang Xiao-Long and Ruby Rose's father.

Both teams suffered heavy losses that day; Yang lost an arm trying to save her teammate Blake from Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang and Blake's ex-boyfriend. Weiss' father picked her up to take her back to their home in Atlas and Blake had run off after the battle.

As for Jaune, Nora, and Ren, they had perhaps suffered the greatest loss of all: a comrade. Pyrrha Nikos was a skilled fighter and tactician who had graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum Academy. She had also won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. Sadly, however, she was killed by Cinder after she had kissed Jaune and sent him flying toward the city of Vale in a locker.

A wave of emotions had stirred inside him after what had happened; some of which included shock, sadness, remorse, and confusion. However, the one dominant emotion that had been stirring inside Jaune ever since that day was anger. He was angry at Ozpin and his associates for deciding that Pyrrha should be the next Fall Maiden and thus putting her life at risk. He was angry at General Ironwood for questioning Ozpin and relying heavily on advanced robots that would eventually turn on the people of Vale. He was even angry at Pyrrha, though he was more frustrated than angry, for the fact that she believed it was her duty to take on Cinder even though it was a pointless battle.

But the one person he was angry at the most was himself. He was angry for the fact that he had failed to keep one of his teammates safe. He was angry that he couldn't do more to ward off the Grimm. And, of course, he was angry at the fact that he had completely ignored Pyrrha's hints indicating that she liked him. He had spent so much wasted time trying to hook up with Weiss that he couldn't see what was right in front of him. If he hadn't been so clueless and had actually picked up on Pyrrha admitting that she liked him, maybe they could have had time to spend together as a couple. Fate, it seems, had other ideas.

"Jaune?" A familiar monotone voice asked, snapping Jaune from his thoughts. He looked up to see Nora and Ren staring at him with concern. Jaune also noticed that they both were carrying their travel packs along with a rolled-up mattress pad.

"Hey, guys." Jaune said casually as he tried to put on a smile. "Are you guys going somewhere?"

"Yes we are." Ren said. "We're going to Mistral with Ruby to try and reach Haven Academy. We'll be leaving soon."

"Yepper!" Nora said in a chipper voice. "So let's get you packin'!" Immediately, she raced around the room grabbing whatever she could find and began stuffing it all into Jaune's personal travel pack.

As Nora continued her comedic method of packing, Jaune felt torn. On one hand, it was essential to get to Mistral and Haven to try and find out anything that might help defeat Cinder and her cronies. But then again, he felt as though he didn't deserve the privilege of going on this journey. One of his own teammates had died on his watch; he wasn't even sure he deserved to be a leader, let alone a huntsman.

"Actually," Jaune said, "I don't think I'll be going with you."

At this, Nora stopped moving with one foot in the air while holding onto Crocea Mors. "Say what?" She asked in surprise and confusion. Even Ren's eyes widened slightly at this announcement. "Jaune," Nora said as Jaune stood up to face them, "W-What are saying?"

Jaune decided to take a deep breath before he began. "Guys, I want to help you and Ruby with Qrow's investigation, believe me. But," he paused as his face became more somber, "I don't feel like I'm ready to go out into the world yet and take on whatever is thrown at me. After what happened at Beacon, I…I just need more time to take care of some things. Not just physically, but emotionally as well."

"But…" Nora said, sounding both hurt and sad at her leader's reasoning. "But who'll lead us?"

"Don't worry, you'll have Ruby with you." Jaune said, trying to sound reassuring. 'She'd probably be a better leader than me anyway.' He thought sadly. "And it doesn't mean I haven't given up on being a huntsman." He added. "All I ask is that you two go on without me for a while with Ruby while I work some things out."

"But Jaune, we-" Nora began to argue, but stopped when Ren stuck his arm out in front of her. As she glanced up at her childhood friend, Nora could see the answer in his eyes. Both she and Ren had lost people near and dear to them as well; they knew exactly what Jaune was going through right now. And they knew that he wouldn't be able to get over it quickly.

"Okay Jaune." Ren said as he lowered his arm and looked at the man whom he considered not just his leader and teammate, but a brother as well. "If you need time to heal, then Nora and I will let you. Just promise us you'll return; we need our leader back."

"Thanks, guys." Jaune said as he smiled with appreciation. "I promise I'll be back with you guys as soon as I can." He then shook Ren's hand and placed his other hand on Ren's shoulder, to which Ren followed suit. The two of them gave a nod of respect towards each other before letting go. "Nora…" Jaune began before Nora ran forward and hugged him. It caught him by surprise, for she wasn't giving him one of her signature bone-crushing hugs. It was the kind of hug a caring sister would give to a sibling who was hurt and needed comfort. He soon felt his hoodie get wet and realized that Nora was crying.

"Stay out of trouble and be safe, you big lug." Nora said through her tears.

"I will, Nora; don't worry." Jaune said with a small smile as he returned the hug. The two of them stayed in that position for a good thirty seconds until they separated and Nora wiped away her tears. She and Ren then made their way to the door leading out to the hallway.

Before they left, Ren turned to Jaune and said "When you're ready, we'll be in Mistral." Jaune only nodded in understanding. With nothing else to say, Ren and Nora left Jaune in his bedroom. As they left his line of sight, Jaune had to take in deep breaths so as not to cry. He knew that he should have gone with them; they were his teammates. But he also had to face his current problems. He felt lucky to know that they were understanding and caring.

As Jaune made his way to his bedroom window, he saw Ren and Nora with Ruby as they trudged their way down the snow-covered path towards Mistral. They soon paused, however, and looked back at Jaune's window. Ren and Nora gave a final wave, to which Jaune responded in kind. His gaze then turned to Ruby, to whom he nodded in appreciation. When Jaune saw the red-hooded huntress return the gesture with a smile, he himself couldn't help but smile a little as well. He knew Ruby would do anything to keep Ren and Nora safe; he would have gone with them immediately if he hadn't felt Ruby to be a capable leader. Jaune's gaze didn't falter from the trio until they disappeared over the snow-covered mounds.

Jaune then laid down on his bed and glanced up at the ceiling with a sigh; it was hard to accept that the events at Beacon and Vale had actually happened. Grimm attacking the city and the academy, people screaming in terror, Atlas robots malfunctioning and turning on those they were meant to protect, and the copious amount of negativity in the air. It almost sounded like a bad dream a child would have in the middle of the night. But it wasn't; all of that had happened…and he, along with many others, bore witness to it all.

After the battle, many of Beacon's surviving students left to stay with their families whether it was to make sure they were okay or to try and defend their villages and towns. Others applied to the other academies, like Team CFVY who transferred to Shade Academy. There were also some who went missing after the battle, like Team CRDL. Though nobody could find the bullies, it was rumored that after fighting off the Grimm in Vale, Cardin Winchester was last boarding the same airship as Velvet Scarlatina and the rest of her team. Jaune remembered how he chuckled at the thought of Cardin being in the same area as Velvet while the rest of Team CFVY gave him the death glare.

_CRASH!_

The sound of something breaking caused Jaune to awaken from his thoughts. He leapt out of bed and scrambled to see where the noise came from. As he made his way down the hall, he saw Taiyang, Ruby and Yang's father, bolt out of his youngest daughter's bedroom. As the father made his way downstairs, Jaune took a look inside Ruby's room. There, he saw a broken teapot and plate, the pieces scattered around the floor, and a note on Ruby's bed. Jaune then carefully made his way over to the bed and picked up the note, which read:

_Dad,_

__

_I'm off to Haven to find out what Uncle Qrow was investigating._

_I know you would want me to stay with you and Yang, but I can't. I can't just stand by and watch other people get hurt. If there is a way to stop Cinder and her followers, I have to find out what it is._

_I won't be going alone, though. I'll have Ren and Nora to accompany me._

_I'm sorry, Dad; I hope that, in time, you'll understand my reason for leaving._

_Tell Yang I'm sorry as well._

_Love you always,_

_Ruby_

"Read it, I see?" A voice asked, causing Jaune to glance up at Tai. Tai then moved forward toward him and asked, "Did you know she was leaving?"

"Y-Yes." Jaune said nervously. "But I thought she had gotten your approval before he-"

Before Jaune could even finish his sentence, however, Tai grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie and moved him until Jaune's back hit the wall. "Don't lie to me!" Tai said angrily. "If you knew she was going to leave without my permission, then-"

"I'm not lying, I swear!" Jaune exclaimed in fear. "I-I seriously thought she talked to you about this. If I'd known otherwise, I would've told you."

Tai kept a hold on Jaune's collar as he looked at him angrily. The boy seemed to be sincere with his words and if Ruby seemed to trust him, then he should as well. After what seemed like an eternity, Tai finally let go of Jaune, which caused the boy to breathe a sigh of relief. "Sorry." The older blonde said sincerely. "It's…It's just been hectic lately. After what happened at Beacon and with Yang, I just wanted my girls and I to stay together for the time being. And with what just happened, I…I guess I just snapped."

"It's alright." Jaune said as he rubbed the area where Tai had grabbed him. "I get it; you wanted to keep Ruby and Yang safe and sheltered from all the bad stuff going on right now. And forgive me for saying so, but I think we both know Ruby's not that kind of person. She'd rather find a way to protect those she cares about and risk her life rather than stay put and do nothing."

"Stubborn and determined." Tai said before he chuckled. "Just like her mother. And why aren't you with them?" He asked as he turned his attention to the boy.

"Oh well," Jaune said as he placed a hand on the back of his neck, "I've…got some things I need to work out myself. But I wouldn't worry about Ruby." He added hastily. "I can guarantee that Nora and Ren will look out for her."

"I see." Tai said as he took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, if you're going to stay here for a while, you're going to have to help around the house. Accommodations aren't free, you know?"

"I understand, sir." Jaune said as he nodded his head.

"Good." Tai said. "The first thing you can do is help me clean up this mess." And with that, Jaune began cleaning up the broken shards of the teapot and plate. Once they had brought the fragments downstairs and dumped them into the garbage, Tai then said, "You're free to go; I'll call you when I need help." Jaune only nodded as he made his way back upstairs.

He had just passed two rooms on his way to his when he heard someone call his name. He turned to his right to see none other than Yang Xiao Long, the blonde brawler of Team RWBY, starring at him. She was lying in bed wearing a brown pajama top and black pajama shorts. But the most notable feature was the bandage that covered the stub where her right arm used to be. That, and the sadness that he saw in her eyes.

"What you doing here?" she asked suddenly, causing Jaune to snap out of his thoughts.

"Oh, well," Jaune began, "I felt that I needed to stay here because….I need time to think things over and work out some things."

"Oh," The blonde bombshell said almost unenthusiastically. "I just thought you might be going with your team and Ruby to Mistral."

"They wanted to." Jaune said sadly. "But when I told them that I couldn't, they understood. And I wouldn't worry about Ruby; Ren can always look after her. I mean," he added with a chuckle to try and lighten the mood, "if he could handle Nora for so many years, I'm sure he can keep Ruby in check."

Unfortunately for Jaune, his good humor was met only by silence as Yang had instead turned her gaze toward the window. Jaune figured that maybe humor wasn't the best ice-breaker at the moment. Then again, he couldn't blame Yang for not laughing after everything that had just happened to them. Out of all the students at Beacon, Yang probably suffered the most. She had lost her right arm trying to save Blake, only to have the cat Faunus run off as soon as the battle was over. Something like that could not easily be brushed off.

After a long, awkward silence, Jaune finally said, "Well, guess I'll see you around." But like before, his words didn't seem to reach Yang as she continued to stare out the window. Finally giving up on any attempts at communication, Jaune retreated back towards his room.

Downstairs, Tai sighed sadly as he had heard the interaction between the two former students. He knew that moving past all of what they had experienced was going to be hard and that it would take time. But he also knew that neither of them could continue living like this. He did, however, smile a bit when he had heard Jaune try to lighten the mood with some humor. 'Who knows?' Tai thought as he opened the door to take out the trash. 'Maybe over time, they can help heal each other.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **And thus ends the first chapter of Love Heal All Wounds. Sorry if the ending seems rushed, but let's just say that I was a bit pressured by some fans of My Hero Academia to publish the next chapter of my most popular story. Also, sorry if any of the characters seem a bit OOC.**
> 
> **Kudos to Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov for giving me suggestions on which direction to take my story for future chapters.**
> 
> **Finally, don't forget to favorite, comment, and follow for more of this story.**
> 
> **This is AnimeFan299910 signing off and reminding all of you to go out with a "Yang"… *sigh* goddammit, Barb.**


	2. Dreams and Pain

**RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the great Monty Oum. Warning: quite angsty.**

* * *

_Jaune's eyes snapped open as he heard the screams of people ringing all around him. As he turned his head from side to side in confusion, his vision cleared and he let out an audible gasp of surprise as the buildings came into view. What surprised him the most was that he knew the city. "Why…Why am I back in Vale?" He asked himself._

_Suddenly, a low and menacing growl caused Jaune to stiffen and slowly turn around. His pupils shrunk in horror as he saw a Beowolf ripping into the carcass of an unfortunate person. Wanting to not alert the creature, Jaune slowly back away. His efforts proved futile, however, as his right foot stepped on a branch causing it to snap. 'Oh no.' Jaune thought in fear._

_The Beowolf, upon hearing something, lifted his head up and sniffed the air around it. As its eyes fell on Jaune, it growled and licked its jaw in hunger. Jaune's breathed rapidly as he tried to formulate a plan to take down the monster. As he looked around trying to find something that might help him, his eyes fell on a familiar sword and shield attached to his body. Feeling a glimmer of hope course through his body, he unsheathed Corcea Mors and enlarged his shield before staring back at the Beowolf._

_The creature of Grimm reared its ugly head and howled before charging at the boy. Jaune placed his right foot forward as the beast came closer and closer. As the Beowolf swung his right claw at him, Jaune tucked and rolled forward to dodge the attack. He then swung the sword multiple times at the monster's mid-section. After a few seconds, he paused as the Beowolf stood motionless. His lips soon turned into a smile as the creature keeled onto its back, dead._

_'Alright,' Jaune thought as he turned away from the beast and put away his weapons, 'Gotta find out what's going on and why I'm–'_

_His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he heard what sounded like hissing coming from behind him. He turned quickly to see a King Taijitu towering over him with its bright red eyes fixated on him. 'W-When did that get here?' He thought to himself. Before he could reach for Corcea Mors, however, the giant snake constricted its body around him and slowly began to squeeze him tightly. Jaune struggled to release himself from the Grimm's death grip, but his efforts seemed futile as the snake kept tightening itself around his body the more he tried to break free. The King Taijitu then reared its head back and bared his long, poisonous fangs at him. As the snake then lunged forward, Jaune closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable to happen._

_But after a moment, the attack never came. Jaune slowly opened his right eye and saw that the city and the Grimm had disappeared, leaving him standing in a black void. As he relaxed his body knowing that he wouldn't be attacked, his mind began to produce several questions. Where did King Taijitu go? How did the city vanish? Where was he? How would he get out of this place?_

_"Jaune?"_

_The feminine voice brought Jaune back from his thoughts. But what made the voice more shocking was the fact that it was hauntingly familiar. Not wanting to believe what he was hearing, the boy turned his head slowly. His eyes widened in shock as his gaze met that of Pyrrha Nikos. He didn't want to believe it, but there she was. Her red hair pulled into a ponytail, her armor shining brightly, and her green eyes staring back at him. "P-Pyrrha?" Jaune said weakly, not knowing how to handle the situation._

_"Jaune…" Pyrrha said as she slowly walked toward him. A smile slowly grew on the boy's face as he walked toward her as well. The smile faded, however, when he noticed Pyrrha's left slowly disintegrate and turn to ash. "Jaune," she said as her face turned to worry and she raised her right arm to reach out for him, "help me."_

_"No, no, no, NO!" Jaune cried out in fear as he ran towards her. But when he had almost reached her, Pyrrha's body had faded into ashes. Jaune skidded to a halt as he fell to his knees and began futilely sifting through the ashes. "Pyrrha, don't do this." He said desperately as his voice broke. "Don't...please…PLEASE DON'T LEAVE!" He cried out as tears began to flow from his eyes. After a minute of sifting, he stopped and clenched a handful of ashes as he continued to cry._

_Suddenly, a cruel, cold laugh echoed throughout the void. Jaune's eyes snapped open as he heard the haunting sounds of high-heeled shoes walking towards him. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A sultry, cold voice asked from behind him. "Looks to me like the knight lost his fair maiden."_

_"Cinder..." Jaune said through gritted teeth as he clenched his hand. With a cry of anger, he turned around and reached for Crecoa Mors. His face changed from anger to shock, however, when he didn't feel the sword attached to his hip._

_Cinder only chuckled before saying, "Lost something, little boy?" Before Jaune could react, she kicked him in the chest, causing him to fall onto his back. As he tried to get up, Cinder planted her right foot onto Jaune's chest pinning him down. She then smiled cruelly at him and asked, "How does it feel to know that no matter what you did, you failed to save her? It must hurt, doesn't it? And do you know what's even worse?" She asked as she lowered her face down. "The fact that no matter what you do, you will always be too weak and pathetic to save those you care about. Your friends...your family...everyone. Now," she added as she produced flames in her left hand, "I think it's time we ended this pathetic game. So just lie back and sleep." She then aimed her left hand at Jaune's face before saying "Just...like...her."_

_Jaune soon felt his entire body engulfed in flames. He tried to cry out for help, but no words came out of his mouth. He then heard Cinder's cold and merciless laughter as she smiled evilly at him in amusement. Soon, Jaune's vision became blurry as the flames grew stronger. Finally accepting his fate, Jaune gave out a silent cry of pain and anguish._

* * *

"AAAAH!" Jaune said as he sat upright and reached his hand out for something. As his vision cleared, he realized that he was reaching out for nothing. As he breathed rapidly, he saw that he was lying in one of the guest beds at the Xiao Long house. One glance at the clock showed him the time to be 6:30 a.m. As he noticed the glimmer of sunlight just barely touching the treetops of the surrounding forest, he then settled back onto his bed and placed an arm over his eyes. 'A dream.' He thought. 'Just another dream.'

For a few minutes, Jaune remained in his bed, trying to gather his senses. Afterward, he sighed and got out of bed. He then walked slowly through the hallway on the second floor so as to not wake up Tai or Yang until he walked down the stairs to the first floor. As he entered the kitchen, he walked over to the coffee maker and made twelve cups of coffee for himself, Tai, and Yang. As soon as it was all set, he poured himself a cup and leaned against the kitchen counter.

It had been a couple of weeks since Jaune had decided to stay with Tai and Yang instead of joining Nora, Ren, and Ruby. The three of them would receive some correspondence from them from time to time, just so that Tai could rest easy knowing his daughter was still alive. Yet every time he would read their letters, Jaune still felt sad at the fact that he wasn't with his remaining teammates.

Yang, on the other hand, barely showed any emotions when Jaune would read the letters to her. In fact, she barely showed any emotion to anything in general. She rarely came out of her room except for meals and even then there wasn't much talk between her and the blonde males. Jaune was saddened by her state of depression; it was like the fire of confidence that once raged inside her had been doused to a mere flicker.

The feeling of little paws pressed against his leg snapped Jaune out of his thoughts. He looked down and smiled at the little black and white corgi looking up at him. "Hey, buddy." He whispered as he scratched Zwei's right ear. "Did I wake you up?" The corgi tilted his head at him and shook his head. Jaune chuckled at the dog's comedic behavior as he opened the back door to let Zwei do his "business".

As Jaune saw Zwei trot through the snow, he smiled a bit at the fact that despite missing his friends and teammates, things at the Xiao Long residence wasn't all too bad. Tai kept him busy doing chores around the house and would occasionally have him go into town to get a few odds and ends. He was also an all-around nice guy; he would ask Jaune about his family and could sympathize with the fact that they were both outnumbered by the number of girls in their families. Zwei had warmed up to Jaune almost instantly; he would sit on Jaune's lap whenever he wanted belly rubs or would tug on his pant leg whenever he wanted to play fetch. Jaune could see how Weiss would fall for such an adorable little dog and spoil him rotten.

He heard the creaking of the stairs indicating someone being awake. Sure enough, Tai entered the kitchen scratching his hair groggily and a smile on his face. "Morning." He said, to which Jaune raised his coffee cup in acknowledgment. As Tai poured himself a cup, he then sat at the table and unfurled the newspaper. "Well," he said as he read the front page, "Nothing new to report on the situation at Beacon. Just that more citizens have been evacuated at Vale and that more Grimm keep coming."

"Any update on that dragon?" Jaune asked as he opened the door to let Zwei back inside.

"Nope," Tai said simply as he scanned the paper. "Reports say that it's still frozen."

"Well, at least there's that," Jaune said, trying to sound optimistic. "As long as it remains that way, the worst Huntsmen and Huntresses have to deal with will be Nevermores and Ursa Majors."

"Hmm." Tai hummed in acknowledgment. There was a silence that grew between them before Tai added, "Listen, after you shower, I'll need you to go into town and get some groceries and supplies. We're kinda running low."

"Sure thing," Jaune said as he finished his coffee and washed the cup. "If you could make me some lists, I can get the stuff." With that, he went upstairs to take a shower. He soon passed by the guest room that Yang was currently staying in. The door was closed, as it had been for the past few weeks. Jaune sighed sadly as he continued his way past the door.

After taking a shower and putting on some warmer clothes, Jaune headed downstairs where he found two separate lists waiting for him on the counter. One was for groceries, the other for supplies at the local blacksmith. Jaune then put on his winter coat, boots, and gloves and headed down the snowy path toward town.

When he was a good forty feet away, Jaune turned to look up at Yang's bedroom window and waved, hoping that she had seen him. Whether he got a response or not, he withdrew his hand and continued his way down the road. Jaune sighed in sadness; he wished that Yang would at least talk to him. It wouldn't have to be about one specific thing; anything would have been fine. Ever since Ren, Nora, and Ruby left, Jaune had been feeling lonely. All he wanted was to talk to someone from his days at Beacon; someone he knew and could relate to, who could remind him of what his life was before the attack. As of now, the only person he could talk to and remind him of happier times was Yang, and she had practically barred herself from everyone and everything. Jaune sighed again, knowing that it would take a while before she could return to any form of normality. But he didn't care; he told himself he would wait as long as it took.

After a good thirty minutes, Jaune could see the small town of Luxaria. It was a small town with the usual shops, restaurants, and vendors. It was way smaller by Vale's standards, but for the people living on the island, it was adequate enough. As he made his way into town, Jaune noticed that people were window-shopping, running errands, and socializing. They were going about their lives as if nothing bad had happened in the past few months. Jaune knew that they must have received word or saw what happened at Vale and Beacon before the CCT Tower fell. 'I guess everyone has a way to cope with that stuff.' He thought as he continued on his way.

Jaune's first stop was the grocers. While there, he purchased apples, lettuce, some cherimoyas (those took some time to find), bread, canned dog food, eggs, and milk. While in the check-out line, he felt something hard and pointy touching the back of his knee. He turned to see a little boy poking him with a small wooden sword while holding onto his mother's hand.

"I'm sorry." The mother said as she picked up the boy and bounced him up and down in her arms. "He does that whenever he's bored."

"It's alright," Jaune said with a warm smile, "he definitely caught me by surprise."

The woman smiled at her son before saying, "It's his favorite toy; he wants to be a Huntsman like his father."

"Really?" Jaune asked in amusement. He then turned his attention to the boy and said, "Well, if you keep training hard and never give up on your dream, you may become a great Huntsman one day." The boy smiled at Jaune's words.

After Jaune bought the groceries, he then made his way to the local blacksmith. When he arrived, he felt the heat emitting from the flames and the mixture of smells emitting from the melted ores permeated his nostrils.

"Hello?" Jaune asked. When he didn't receive a response, he called out again. "Hello?"

"What do you need?"

"AHAH!" Jaune squealed in terror as he fell to the floor from the voice behind him. He soon looked up to see a large, beefy man with brown hair and a full beard with a few strands of grey hair looking down at him. He also had a few wrinkles on his face and his exposed skin was covered with sweat, dirt, and ash. He wore baggy pants, a sleeveless white shirt that had dirt stains on it, and a leather apron that covered said shirt.

"Can I help you, son?" The man asked in a throaty, boisterous voice as he extended his hand to help Jaune up.

"Thanks; sorry about the screaming." Jaune said sheepishly as he took the man's hand and rose to his feet. "Name's Jaune Arc. I'm here on business for Taiyang Xiao Long."

"So you know Tai, eh?" The man said as his hard gaze lessened and the corners of his mouth moved into a small smile. "Then you're pretty fortunate, kid. I've known Tai for many years, and all I can say is that you couldn't have found a better huntsman to know you. Name's Phaestus, by the way." He added as he took Jaune's hand and shook it. The mere strength and vigor that Phaestus put into the handshake made Jaune feel as though the bones in his hand might break. The blacksmith reminded him of a certain red-head with a similar death grip. "So how can I help you?" Phaestus asked as soon as he let go of Jaune's hand.

"Well, I'm actually here to pick up an ax and some gardening tools for Tai." Jaune said as he flexed his sore hand.

"Well, I don't know Tai that well. We'd only just met a few months ago." Jaune admitted sheepishly. "But I do know his daughters, Ruby and Yang."

"Really?" The blacksmith asked in amusement. "Childhood friends?"

"Uh, no actually." Jaune replied. "We were classmates at Beacon."

"Oh, I see." Phaestus said simply and Jaune couldn't help but notice the change in his tone of voice when he said those words. After thirty seconds, Phaestus came back with a wooden box of tools. "Here you go, kid. All set and ready for use."

"Thanks." Jaune said as he handed some Lien that Tai had left for him to the blacksmith and turned to leave.

"Hold on a minute, kid." Phaestus called out, causing Jaune to turn back in confusion. "That sword you're carrying…mind if I take a look at it?"

Jaune gave a look of confusion before glancing down at Crocea Mors. "Oh yeah, sure." He said as he handed the sword to Phaestus. "It comes with a shield, if you want to look at that too." The blacksmith only nodded, prompting Jaune to set it on the counter.

Phaestus unsheathed the sword and moved his eyes up and down the blade as he examined it. He then positioned the sword up to his eye level and squinted his eye to check the straightness of the blade. After a while, he placed the sword on the counter and picked up the shield. He examined the edges and banged his fist on it to check its durability. "Not a bad weapon, kid." Phaestus said as he placed the shield back down onto the counter. "Make it yourself?"

"No, actually," Jaune said. "Family heirloom."

"Guess that explains all the scratches and chips." Phaestus muttered to himself as he handed the weapon back to Jaune. "You know if you leave it with me, I could upgrade it for you, polish it off, sharpen it, it'd be a big improvement for combat."

Jaune glanced down at his weapon. 'It would be cool to get Crocea Mors all patched up and upgraded.' He thought. But as those words echoed in his mind, the memories of when he had lost his battles against fighters like Pyrrha, Ruby, and even Cardin came flooding in. As he remembered how he lost so many bouts, his face saddened. 'What good is a new upgraded weapon if I'm not strong enough?'

"Thanks for the offer, Phaestus," Jaune said with a wave of his hand, "but I think I'll pass."

"Suit yourself, kid." Phaestus said as he shrugged his shoulders. "But in case you change your mind, the offer's still on the table." Jaune only nodded in acknowledgment as he turned and left. 'Poor kid.' The blacksmith thought as he watched Jaune walk away. 'Can't imagine what he went through that day.'

His tasks all done, Jaune made his way back to the Xiao Long house. He smiled a bit as he remembered the people of Luxaria being so kind and peaceful. They helped each other out whenever they needed it and kept to themselves. He could fully understand why Tai would want to live near a nice town like Luxaria with Yang and Ruby. He then chuckled a bit at the thought of a younger Yang being bored out of her mind by the peaceful tranquility of the town.

Soon enough, Jaune had arrived at the house. With some skill, he managed to open the door even while caring all the groceries and the tool-filled box. "I'm back!" He called out. A sudden bark caused him to turn in time to see Zwei bounding toward him. "Hey buddy!" He said. "I'll be with you in a sec, just gotta put this stuff away."

As Jaune entered the kitchen, a flash of yellow caught his attention. His cobalt eyes soon meet lilac ones as he looked at a certain blonde beauty. "Oh, hi Yang," he said with surprise, "didn't see you there for a second."

Yang didn't respond as she continued to eat her sandwich. So as not to make the moment awkward, Jaune started putting away the groceries. "So I finally got to visit Luxaria." He said, trying to make some casual conversation. "Nice little town; could see why your dad would want to live here."

"Mhm." Yang said quietly, not even looking up at him.

Soon enough, Jaune finished putting away the groceries. He then turned to Yang and asked, "Say, I was gonna go outside and play with Zwei. Wanna join?"

"Thanks," Yang said sadly, "but I think I'll pass. I just don't feel like it." And with that, she made her way upstairs to her room.

As he watched the door to the room she was staying in close, Jaune sighed in defeat. Another attempt to talk to Yang normally gone down the drain. He then walked over to Zwei, who whined sadly. "Well, it was worth a try, buddy." He said with a shrug as he scratched him just under his chin. "C'mon, let's go play fetch." He added as he opened the door to let the dog out.

After playing with Zwei for a while, Jaune noticed that Tai had returned home from Signal. "Hey Tai." Jaune called out as he waved at the former huntsman.

"Hey, Jaune." Tai said as he waved back. "Did you get the supplies from Phaestus?"

"Yep; they're just by the door in that wooden box there." Jaune said as he pointed at said box.  
Tai looked inside the box and rummaged through it to make sure nothing was out of place. He smiled a little as he noticed that all of his supplies were there. He then took out the ax and inspected it before his smile grew. "Phaestus sure does know his craft, huh?" He casually asked Jaune, who nodded in agreement. "Now then," Tai said as he sheathed the ax and handed it to Jaune, "Mind using this to chop up some firewood?"

"Sure thing." Jaune said as he took the ax and made his way over to the chopping block. Rolling up his sleeves, he grabbed a log from the pile to his left and placed on the block of wood. He then raised the ax over his head and swung it down, cutting the log perfectly down the center.

As he continued to chop wood, his mind began to wander back to the dream he had the other night. How he had ended up back in Vale, how Pyrrha had faded to ashes, and how Cinder had taunted him.

As he glanced down at the log in front of him, he imagined the piece of wood to be Cinder and his grip on the ax tightened. He then swung down on it, only for the word 'weak' to reverberate in his ears. He then picked up another log and chopped it just to hear the word 'pathetic'. Soon Jaune's breathing became erratic and his swings more forceful with each word.

_Crack_

'Failed'

_Crack_

'Pathetic'

_Crack_

'Weak'

_Crack_

'Ha Ha Ha'

_Crack_

"Jaune?"

_Crack_

"Jaune."

Jaune soon felt a hand on his shoulder from behind. Blinded by his rage, he turned and swung the ax at the owner of said hand. The person then grabbed Jaune's ax arm and threw him over his shoulder. As soon as Jaune's body hit the ground, the person pinned him and the arm down on the ground. "Jaune, calm down! It's me, Tai!"

Jaune blinked several times as his breathing slowed. He then glanced upward to see Tai holding both his arms down and wearing a look of concern on his face. After a good thirty seconds, it finally dawned on him what had happened: in his fit of rage, he had swung the ax at Tai's neck. "Oh God," Jaune said in horror as he let go of the ax, "Tai, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't mean to attack you. I…I just…"

"Jaune, it's okay. I know you wouldn't attack me intentionally." Tai said as his facial features calmed and he got off of the boy. He then extended his hand and helped Jaune to his feet. "Look," he added as he patted the dirt off his pants, "why don't you go inside and get the table set up for dinner while I finish up here?"

Jaune only nodded in response and hurried inside. Tai picked up the ax and glanced over at the chopping block, which had several deep cuts into it. Tai shivered at the image he saw before he had tackled Jaune: at some point, Jaune had stopped chopping wood and had been hacking away at the chopping block instead. As he glanced back at Jaune's retreating figure, he thought, 'What did he even go through that day at Beacon?'

* * *

As dinner approached, Jaune still felt shame about what he had almost done. So much so that he only set up two places at the dinner table. When Tai asked why, Jaune merely responded that he "wasn't feeling hungry tonight." Tai knew that something was eating at Jaune, but rather than pry into his reasons, he let Jaune go.

Jaune then headed up the stairs, passed Yang's room, and entered his while closing the door behind him. Jaune slumped down onto the floor and rested his head against the footboard of his bed. 'It's my fault.' He thought to himself. 'I attacked Tai because I failed to save Pyrrha from Cinder. It's all my fault.'

Sighing sadly, he then reached into his pocket and pulled out his Scroll. "Still no signal." Jaune mumbled with another sigh. Though it shouldn't have come as a surprise; the island of Patch was part of the kingdom of Vale and thus wouldn't have any mobile communication with the other kingdoms.

It was when Jaune began swiping left to try and see if any of his apps worked that he noticed a new folder on the last page that said "Training". Confused, Jaune opened it and discovered a video file entitled "0". Curiosity getting the better of him, he clicked on it and his eyes widened in shock as he saw a familiar red-headed girl looking back at him.

"Alright Jaune, just like we practiced." The girl said with a smile.

"P-Pyrrha?" Jaune asked weakly, struggling to fathom the fact that his fallen partner was on his Scroll.

"Follow these instructions: shield up. Keep your grip tight. Don't forget to keep your front foot forward." Pyrrha said with a pause in between each instruction. At the video continued playing and Pyrrha kept giving instructions, Jaune realized that this video was to help him go over the moves that the two of them had used during Pyrrha's training sessions back at Beacon.

"Okay." Pyrrha said before she chuckled a bit as she continued with, "Now, assuming you aren't cheating, we can take a break." Jaune himself couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her statement. There were times when he told he was off to train when he was really slacking off and reading comic books because he was too tired. When she found out, she didn't scold him but instead made him go through Nora's rigorous exercise regimen for a week. It was a lesson Jaune would never forget as his whole body ached for a month.

"I know this can be frustrating," Pyrrha's voice said as it snapped Jaune back to his senses, "and it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount. But I want you to know that I'm proud of you." Pyrrha stated with a warm smile. "I've never met someone so determined to better themselves. You've grown so much since we've started training and I know this is just the beginning." Jaune's hands began to shake as he heard those words. Pyrrha had done so much for him, believed in him, and was willing to help in any way she could.

"Jaune…I…I…" Pyrrha's face suddenly saddened as she glanced away from the screen. Jaune could automatically see the worry in her eyes. Did she know that she might not be around for him when he needed her? Was she trying to express any feelings of love and admiration that he was too blind to notice? Whatever they were, Pyrrha didn't say them as she looked back at the screen, put on a brave face, and said "I want you to know that I am just happy to be a part of your life. I'll always be here for you, Jaune."

The video then ended two seconds after Pyrrha said Jaune's name. As Jaune continued to look at her face, he noticed two or three drops of water on the screen. He knew where they came from: they were his tears. As he lay his Scroll down with his right hand, his left moved over his mouth to stifle his cries of anguish as tears continued to flow down his face. 'Pyrrha,' he thought, 'I'm so sorry.'

* * *

Meanwhile, Tai was glancing up the stairs with a look of concern on his face. He knew something was up with Jaune; why else would he stay with him and Yang instead of going with his teammates and Ruby?

"Dad," Yang said suddenly, "You've been looking upstairs for the last ten minutes or so."

"Oh sorry, sweetie." Tai said sheepishly as he resumed to eating overcooked noodles, though he would never admit they were. "Hey, can I ask you a question?" He directed toward his daughter. When all she gave him was a shrug, he then asked, "What's up with Jaune? What happened to him at Beacon?"

Sighing, Yang met his gaze and said "There was this girl named Pyrrha Nikos who was both his partner and teammate at Beacon. She seemed to be the only one there who truly believed he could be a great huntsman. She even trained him so he could be stronger. She had this crush on him, but he was too oblivious to realize it. By the time he figured it out, it was too late." Yang paused as her gaze was cast downward. "She died trying to stop the person behind the whole attack on Beacon and Vale. I heard Jaune was wrecked by her loss. Probably still is." She added.

"I see." Tai said simply before he returned to his food. So the kid lost someone near and dear to him, huh? Tai himself had been there before. It was at that moment an idea popped into the older blonde's head. He may not have been showing it, but he was already formulating a way to help Jaune with his problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **And with that, the next chapter of Love Heals All Wounds has ended. Sorry if some of you felt that this chapter was really angsty, but there is literally no other way to describe what Jaune has been going through lately without being angsty. Don't worry though; the next chapter will be touching and comforting.**
> 
> **Anyway, kudos to my beta reader Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov for reviewing the chapter and introducing me to Grammarly.**
> 
> **Until then, this is AnimeFan299110 encouraging you all to go out with a Yang...GODDAMMIT BARB!**


	3. A Talk Between Blondes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tai has a sit-down with Jaune.

**RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum**

* * *

Jaune wiped the sweat off his forehead as he finished shoveling the walk-way. Though they were nearing the end of February towards the spring months, there was still a decent amount of snow on the ground. And since it had rained last night and covered said snow in a sheet of ice, it was even more difficult to get it off the walk-way.

As Jaune glanced back at the Xiao-Long house, he sighed sadly. It had been nearly five days since he had attacked Tai unintentionally. Though Tai had forgiven him the day after, Jaune still felt horrible about what he had done. 'The man can't seem to hold a grudge unless it's warranted.' Jaune thought before he smiled a bit and added, 'Just like Ruby.' His thoughts then shifted to the crimson reaper and his teammates and he felt sad again. He hadn't heard from them for almost a week and he hoped they were okay.

After a few minutes lost in thought, he made his way into the warm house. He then took off his snow boots, winter coat, gloves, and hat and placed them over the kitchen chairs to let them dry. Afterwards, he proceeded to make his way upstairs.

"Hang on Jaune." A familiar voice said, causing Jaune to stop halfway up the stairs. He turned to see Tai looking up at him. "Before you go, mind if we talk for a bit?"

"Um….okay." Jaune said hesitantly, making his way back down until he sat next to Tai on the couch. "So," he said, unsure of what he would expect, "what did you want to talk about?"

Taking a deep breath, Tai began by saying "You know, Yang told me that you're the leader of your own team. Is that right?"

"Y-Yeah." Jaune said, confused as to what Tai was asking him.

"Out of curiousity, what are they like?" Tai asked.

"Well," Jaune said as he thought about his fellow teammates, "Ren is very humble and not really talkative. Though when he does decide to speak, he can be pretty insightful. I've always been able to count on him whenever I lose my cool or just need someone to calm me down. Now Nora, on the other hand," he paused to chuckle a bit at the memory of the bombastic red-head, "She like the complete opposite of Ren. She's energetic and a bit of a chatterbox, which can be a bit of an annoyance at times. But she's also the most upbeat person I know and would do anything to make her friends happy."

Tai chuckled a bit as he heard about Nora's personality; the girl's kind nature reminded him of someone he used to know. "And what about your fourth member?" He asked, his face turning serious.

"Oh," Jaune said, his expression saddening, "We had a fourth member, but…not anymore." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Her name was Pyrrha Nikos and she was perhaps one of the best fighters I had ever seen. She was also both a great partner and friend." He smiled a bit at the memory of his fallen teammate. "She helped me train, kept me up on my studies, and was always there for me whenever I needed to talk to someone."

"Wow." Tai said. "Sounds like she was a really great person."

"She was." Jaune said before his expression reverted back to sadness. "On the day Beacon fell, we came across this strange woman with these weird powers attacking Ozpin and a few others. Pyrrha said that she had to stop her. When I tried to argue with her that it was a bad idea, she…she kissed me." Jaune paused again as the memory came back to him. Though it had been over a couple months since that day, he could still remember how soft and gentle her lips had felt against his. "After that, she then shoved me into a locker and sent me flying to the city. I…I was scared. She was going to get herself killed." He said as he inhaled deeply, trying to compose himself. "When I landed, I called Weiss and begged her and Ruby to try and save her. But by the time Weiss came back with Qrow and Ruby…she was gone."

Jaune clenched his hands on his knees and he cast his gaze downward. "I…I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. The first person who believed I could be a Huntsman, the first girl who had ever shown any interest in me, my partner…was dead. And I couldn't do anything to save her." It was then that he finally broke down and cried. Zwei only bent his ears as he bowed his head and whimpered as he saw Jaune. Tai didn't say anything, but instead handed Jaune some tissues and then placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Jaune." Tai said as he squeezed it.

Unbeknownst to both the blonde males and the dog, Yang was standing against the wall near the guest bedroom door. When she had initially heard the conversation between her dad and Jaune, she wanted to close the door to shut them out.

"To tell you the truth, Jaune, I've been where you are now."

Her father's words prevent Yang from completing her task. Instead of closing the door, she leaned her body against the wall as she listened in on the conversation.

Back downstairs, Jaune was looking Tai in bewilderment as the older blonde's words sank in. "You…you have?" He asked.

"Yeah." Tai said simply before holding up two fingers. "Twice."

Tai then pulled something out of his pants pocket and handed it to Jaune. As he took it, Jaune saw that it was a photo of four people standing around a few trees. He was able to recognize the two men in the photo as younger versions of Tai and Qrow, but it was the women that really caught his attention.

The one leaning against the tree wore a hooded white cloak and what looked like a black combat skirt. She also had black, neck-length, choppy hair that gradated to dark red at the tips. But her most notable feature were her silver eyes. She looked hauntingly similar to a certain reaper Jaune knew.

The woman between Tai and Qrow wore what looked like ancient warrior armor covering her torso, chest, upper and forearms. She also had a sheathed sword attached to her hip with a Dust clip on it. For features, she had pale skin, shaggy black hair that extended past her shoulders, and red eyes that Jaune had seen before in combat training. "Is…is this your…?" He asked as he looked away from the picture.

"Yep." Tai said with a smile. "This was my old team back at Beacon when I was your age. We were known as Team STRQ. And I don't mean to brag, but we were one of the best teams to ever come out of that school." He added with a smirk. Jaune could only nod in acknowledgment while Yang rolled her eyes at hearing her dad's boasting. "Now you know those guys there as me and Qrow, but it's the two girls in this picture that I want to tell you about." Tai continued before pointing to them individually. "The girl with the cloak was our team leader Summer Rose, while the other was Raven Branwen."He paused as he smiled at both of them.

"When I was your age, Jaune, I was just some guy who wanted to become a great Huntsman. When my team was formed up, we were a unique bunch. Qrow and I immediately may have been good friends, but he had his faults. He was abrasive, reckless, and wasn't great at taking orders. Summer was a sweet person who was always a team player and wanted everyone to be happy. But it was Raven who really struck a chord with me. She was fearless, an incredible fighter, determined, and was incredibly beautiful."

"I tried any way I could to get her attention, but every attempt failed. Unlike Qrow, who was always social and a bit of a lady killer, Raven mostly kept to herself and never really got attached to anyone or anything. After we graduated, however, she started to take an interest in me. Naturally, I didn't mind it. After a while, we started dating and soon found out that she was pregnant. Nine months after we found out, Yang was born. I was so excited; I was about to spend the rest of my life with the woman I loved."

It was then that Jaune knew something was up with Tai's story. "What happened?" He asked. "If that was the case, why isn't Raven here?"

"Well," Tai said, frowning a bit, "she seemed like she liked the idea of starting a family. But as soon as she had recovered from giving birth...she left."

Jaune couldn't help but hang his mouth open in shock as he heard Tai's words. Being part of a large family, he was taught that family should always stick together and look out for each other. So when he heard about Raven abandoning her family, he couldn't believe what he had heard. "Why?" He asked. "Why would she just abandon her own daughter and leave you to take care of her?"

"I don't honestly know." Tai said, shaking his head. "As I said, Raven was a complicated person. She had her faults. Whether it was the fear of motherhood or something else entirely, she just left. I may never know why she did it."

Upstairs, Yang was clenching a fist with her lone hand as she heard the tale of her mother. It had been told to her a thousand times, but she still had trouble hearing about it.

"Anyway," Tai said as he continued with his story, "I didn't know what to do after Raven left. There I was, a young Huntsman who had barely graduated tasked with raising a kid on my own. I tried balancing it out for a month, but I was almost at my wit's end. I was running low on money, I hadn't been on a mission since Yang was born, and I wasn't sure if I was raising Yang the right way." He paused as he took a deep breath before he smiled. "And then she came."

"Summer?" Jaune asked.

Tai kept his smile as he nodded his head and closed his eyes. "As I said before," Tai said, "Summer was always a kindhearted person who wanted to help people in any way she could. When she had heard about what happened, she immediately came to help me out. And she was phenomenal; she knew how to cook, was there to comfort me in my time of need, and for Yang...she got someone she could call 'mom'. After a while, it became evident to me that maybe Summer was the one person for me. She and I hit it off and nine months later, Ruby was born."

"We had a pretty good sense of our duties." Tai continued. "I would teach at Patch and Summer would go on missions. But whenever she was home, I was happy; I loved her and she loved me. Though she adored Yang and Ruby. She would get them ready for the day, play with them, bake cookies, comforted them when they needed it. To them, she was practically a Super-Mom." Jaune smiled at how motherly Summer seemed to be while Yang was upstairs, smiling at the memory of the woman who loved her as a mother should.

The atmosphere downstairs changed, however, when Tai's smile faltered. "One day, she went off on this important mission about a pack of Ursa near Vale. She said that she was only going to be gone for two weeks. Two weeks went by and she didn't return. I wasn't one to complain; sometimes it would take her longer to complete a mission. But after another two weeks, I was beginning to worry about her. I left the girls in Qrow's care and began wandering around asking fellow Huntsman if anyone had seen her. After a week of asking and searching for Summer, I could only come to the conclusion...that she was gone." At this, Tai paused and took a deep breath as he tried to compose himself.

Jaune couldn't believe what he was hearing; Tai had lost not one but two loves. He, himself, was already struggling to cope with the loss of one love. To go through that twice was something he couldn't fathom. Meanwhile, Yang cast her gaze downward as the memory of her father came home without Summer came flooding back into her mind.

"I returned after a few weeks and I immediately shut down. I wouldn't leave the house, Qrow had to look after the girls, and I basically closed out everyone around me. Tai said as he tried to hold back any tears. He then turned to the other blonde and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The reason I'm telling you this is because I know what you're going through, Jaune. I've been in your position and I know how you're feeling at the moment."

There was a long silence in the living room as the story set in for them. It was Jaune who finally broke the silence when he asked, "Does it ever get better?" He then turned to look at Tai with watery eyes. "Does that pain ever go away?"

Tai removed his hand from Jaune's shoulder, sighed, and said, "I can't give you an honest answer to that, Jaune. It all depends on how you cope with that pain."

"How did you do it?" Jaune asked.

"Well, it wasn't easy," Tai said. "After a week or two of shutting myself out from everyone...and a rude wakeup call from Qrow, I realized something. I knew I wasn't ready to move on like nothing happened, but my girls needed a father. They needed someone to comfort them, to take care of them, and to help teach them how to be great Huntresses. And do you know what I learned as I started to rebuild my life?" He asked as a small smile came upon his lips. "I learned that even though they weren't physically there, both Raven and Summer were still there with me...and I saw them in both Yang and Ruby. Their personalities, their desires to help those in need, and the will to fight for what they believe in. The fact that they both share the best qualities of those two women makes me smile every day and helps me cope with their losses." Unbeknownst to Tai, Yang smiled warmly as she heard her father's words.

Tai once again placed his hand on Jaune's shoulder and said, "And your friend Pyrrha is never gone, Jaune...sorry, didn't mean to rhyme." He added as he and Jaune chuckled at his mistake. "But she's never gone as long as her will and beliefs live on in both you and your teammates. I know you'll find a way to cope with her death, Jaune. You just need some time."

Jaune smiled at Tai as they both stood and shook hands. "Thanks, Tai." He said with gratitude.

"No problem, Jaune," Tai said as he returned the smile. "Why don't you head upstairs and relax for a bit? Dinner will be ready in about an hour.

Jaune nodded and headed upstairs. He soon passed by the guest bedroom and saw Yang still in her bed and looking out the window. "Hey Yang," he said, "your dad says that dinner will be ready in an hour."

"Okay," Yang said simply. Before Jaune left, she called out "Hey Jaune?"

"Yeah; what's up?" Jaune asked curiously.

"I..." Yang began as she thought of the right words to say. Finally, she turned to Jaune and said, "I'm glad you stayed. It's been lonely here without Ruby."

"Yeah, me too." Jaune said with a small smile, to which Yang returned. Seeing Yang's smile caused Jaune to feel warm inside; it had almost felt like an eternity since she had smiled at anyone. "Well," he said, "see you at dinner."

"You too." Yang said as she watched him leave.

Downstairs, Tai couldn't help but overhear the brief conversation between the two young adults. He then looked down at Zwei and asked, "what do you think, buddy?" The little corgi only barked enthusiastically. Tai only scratched his ears and chuckled before saying "Yeah, me too. With any luck, they might help each other out. Though that doesn't mean we can't help." He added with a smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **And with that, another chapter of Love Heals All Wounds concludes. Giving you guys the heads up that the next update wouldn't be for another month or two since I have to update my My Hero Academia fic (the fandom can be pretty demanding). And it probably wouldn't be as angst as these last chapters.**
> 
> **Kudos, as always, to Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov for beta reading this story.**
> 
> **Don't forget to favorite, comment, and follow.**
> 
> **Until then, this is AnimeFan299110 encouraging you all to go out with a Yang...GODDAMMIT BARB!**


	4. Training and a Movie

**RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late, great Monty Oum.**

* * *

Jaune whistled to himself as he moved the spatula through the eggs in the frying pan. It had been a few days since he and Tai had their talk and Jaune felt as though a small portion of the burden that was on his shoulders had been lifted. Granted he still had the occasional nightmares of that night, but it was nice to know that he was slowly starting on the path to recovery. He just wish that Yang was as well.

"Jaune?"

Jaune stilled slightly at the voice behind him. He turned to see said person with her disheveled pajamas and greasy blonde hair. "Oh, hey Yang." Jaune said with a smile. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No; just got up." Yang said, her eyes looking at the sizzling eggs in the pan.

Jaune followed said gaze and was tempted to chuckle a bit. But decided against it since he figured it wouldn't be appropriate to do so. Instead he only asked, "You hungry? I could make you breakfast if you want."

"Huh?" Yang asked in confusion as the smell of the eggs wafted through the air. She snapped out of her stupor and blinked at Jaune. "Oh yeah, sure." Jaune only smiled as he resumed his work. As Yang took a seat at the kitchen table, she turned to him and asked, "By the way, what were you whistling when I came down?"

"Oh that," Jaune said while continuing his craftsmanship in cooking, "that was actually "Prof. Love" by SMOOCH."

"SMOOCH?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow. "Haven't heard them in ages."

Hearing this, Jaune looked back in surprise and asked, "You used to listen to them?"

"My dad and Summer did." Yang said while shrugging her shoulders. "They used to be big fans of them. I remember whenever one of their songs came on the radio, the two of them would just dance like a pair of knuckleheads and sing the song. Sometimes my dad would have Ruby in a baby carrier and she would move her arms and legs thinking they were playing some game." She smiled a little at the memory of the two adults dancing and singing badly while little Ruby was gurgling and giggling in a baby carrier. Her smile soon turned to a frown as the memory reminded her of a time when everything felt right in the world and not messed up.

Jaune noticed and said nothing as he set a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast in front of Yang. He then sat across from her and began eating as well. There was a moment of silence between the two of them before he finally broke it. "Yeah, my parents were big fans of SMOOCH as well." He said. "It's actually how they met each other."

"Really?" Yang asked.

"Yep." Jaune said simply. "My dad was just going there to have a good time and my mom was a groupie traveling with her friends. She had a little too much to drink that night and my dad brought her back to her hotel room. He left her with a glass of water and a note with his number on the nightstand. She called him the next day and well...the rest is history." Yang nodded; it now made sense where Jaune's gentleman-like persona came from.

Jaune paused a bit to eat his food before he continued. "When I was fifteen, my mom, my dad, my sisters and I went to one of their concerts. My sisters weren't keen on going, but they changed their minds when they found out that the opening act was The Lunatic Jester Brigade."

"So your sisters are into crappy music, huh?" Yang asked with a smirk.

"Yep." Jaune said as he mirrored Yang's smirk before continuing. "Anyway, when SMOOCH came out onto the stage, I was in awe by their music. I remember how I wanted to be cool like them."

"So you wanted to wear makeup in your 50s and sing in front of thousands of old-timers like you?" Yang asked as she gave another smirk.

"You know what I mean." Jaune said, giving Yang a sarcastic glare. "I wanted that confidence that they had to do what they do best. It's a trait I'm lacking." He added sheepishly. Yang nodded in acknowledgement; Jaune certainly had some self-confidence issues, especially when it came to training and knowing girls.

"Who knows?" Yang said with a shrug. "Maybe one day, you'll find something or someone to help you with that."

"What; like a wingman?" Jaune asked incredulously.

"Exactly." Yang answered simply. Jaune only rolled his eyes; he didn't have a lot of male friends and the only one closest to being a wingman was currently traveling to Mistral with a bombastic red-head and a crimson reaper. He frowned slightly at the thought of his teammates and friend and how much he missed them.

The rest of the meal was met with silence between the two blondes. After they had completed their meals, Jaune took the plates and silverware and brought them to the kitchen sink to wash them. Yang, meanwhile, rose from her chair and made her way towards the stairs. But not before turning back to Jaune and saying, "Thanks for breakfast; it was…good."

"No problem, Yang." Jaune said with a smile. "I'm just glad you were willing to join me." Yang returned a small smile and made her way up the stairs. 'At least she's talking and smiling a little.' He thought to himself as he washed the dishes.

When he had placed them on the drying rack, Jaune made his way upstairs and into his room, where he retrieved Crocea Mors and pocketed his Scroll. He then headed downstairs onto the first floor quietly so as to not alert Yang. He walked into the kitchen and opened a side door that led down into the basement. Jaune then locked the door behind him so as to get some privacy.

The Xiao Long house had an interesting basement; not only did it house the heater and electrical box, but it was also set up as a training room for the winter months. Tai had shown it to Jaune before the axe incident and told him that he could use it for training whenever he wanted. The training room had several manikins, benches to relax on, a few Mu ren Zhuang wooden dummies, and a man-made training circle. Jaune couldn't help but notice a few broken pieces of mankins and wooden dummies lying in a heap in a corner. No doubt they were the unfortunate victims of Yang and Ruby's training sessions. 'Mental note,' Jaune thought, 'try not to destroy too much training equipment.'

After setting Crocea Mors down on a bench, he proceeded to move the manikins and wooden dummies out of the training circle. As soon as he made sure the equipment was kept at a safe distance, he pulled out his Scroll and opened the folder that contained the video of Pyrrha. He then propped it up on the bench and pressed "play" before picking up his sword and shield.

As Pyrrha continued to talk, Jaune did not move or follow the intructions at first. He just stood there, wanting to just hear her sweet and caring voice again. It had only been a few months since the fall of Beacon, but he was still haunted by her memory and what had happened between them that day. But despite that day and what he felt he had failed to do, he knew that he couldn't give up on making himself stronger. Not just for her memory, but for all of his friends and teammates.

The video immediately rewound itself to the beginning. ""Alright Jaune, just like we practiced." Pyrrha said. At this, Jaune lifted his sword and shield, waiting for her to continue. "Follow these instructions: shield up. Keep your grip tight. Don't forget to keep your front foot forward." Jaune did as he was told: he lifted his shield slightly higher, tightened the grip on his sword, and placed his left foot forward with his right at a 90⁰ angle.

"Ready?" Pyrrha asked before saying "Go."

"AAAH!" Jaune cried as he thrust the sword forward.

* * *

For two hours, he followed Pyrrha's instructions, trusting and swiping the air just as she had taught him. He breathed deeply and slowly as he collapsed down onto the floor. He tried to stand up by using his sword to boost himself up. He then placed his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He wanted to continue training, but he was too worn out. He gritted his teeth in anger at the thought that despite all of his training, he still felt like he wasn't getting anywhere.

After a few minutes, Jaune decided to call it a day and placed everything back to where it originally was. He then left the basement and went upstairs to take a shower. As he step into the stall, he let the warm water wash over him while trying to calm down. The past was the past; he couldn't change it even if he desperately wanted to. Yet it didn't make him feel any better as he fought the urge to punch the tile wall in frustration.

After he got out of the shower and dried himself off, he felt the dampness of his hoodie and sighed knowing that he would no doubt have to wash it. "I swear I wear that hoodie so much I wonder if people think I don't wear anything else." He said to himself before putting on a white t-shirt. He then went downstairs, put his hoodie in the washer, and sat down to watch some TV. Upon turning it on, a news station immediately popped up with an anchor reporting news about Beacon and Vale. Almost on instinct, Jaune picked up the remote and changed the channel, only to come across another news network reporting the same old information.

"Despite countless searching and questioning, Professor Ozpin, the once great leader and headmaster of Beacon Academy, is still being reported missing."

*CLICK*

"Leo Caspian, an advocate for faunus equality rights, was found dead in his home last night along with his wife and two sons. Originally thought to be the work of human supremacists, experts now confirm that the murders were committed by the White Fang. It has been noted that Mr. Caspian strongly opposed the organization's extremist ways throughout his career."

*CLICK*

"Atlas officials continue to impose a ban on trade and have cut off all communication to the outside world."

*CLICK*

Jaune shook his head as he kept flipping through the channels, each covering a story more sad and depressing than the last. It felt like the entire world was going to hell and it was getting worse every day. He clenched his fist at the fact that the culprits responsible were right in front of him and his friends the whole time and they were all too blind to notice. He remembered how satisfied he was when he had found out that Roman Torchwick met his end at the hands, or rather mouth, of a Griffon Grimm. 'Poetic justice at its finest.' He remembered thinking when he heard the news.

His channel surfing came to an end when he came across the RMC movie channel that showed actor Spruce Willis walking through an airship terminal. As the baggage claim station came into view, the words "Try Hard" zoomed into view. 'Try Hard it is, then.' Jaune thought before setting the remote and leaning back into the couch.

Five minutes into the movie, Jaune noticed some movement to his right. He turned and was surprised to see Yang walking down the stairs. "Oh, hey Yang." He said.

"Don't mind me," she said with a wave of her hand. "I just came down to get a snack. I'll be out of your hair so-" She stopped, however, when she saw what was playing on the TV. "Are you watching 'Try Hard'?" She asked curiously.

"Y-Yeah." Jaune said in surprise. "S-Sorry if the volume is too loud; I can turn down if I'm disturbing you."

"No; it's fine." Yang said as she sat on the opposite end of the couch. "I actually like this movie. Did I miss much?"

"Not really," Jaune said as he shrugged, "Spruce Willis' Shawn McCain found out that his wife is registered under her maiden name. No action yet."

They sat in silence for a bit, watching the terrorists find Tony's dead body on the stairs with the words "Now I have a gun" written on his shirt. "You know," Jaune said, finally breaking the silence, "I'm sad Alan Bickman is dead; he was a great actor and this movie helped cement his name into the movie business."

"Hmm." Yang hummed in acknowledgement.

They soon came across the signature moment when Spruce talked into the radio and said "Yippee ki yay, mother******". "Oh right; I forgot." Jaune said in disappointment. "RMC censors that phrase."

"It's stupid, really." Yang added. "I mean it's one of my favorite quotes and they have to ruin it.

"I know, right?" Jaune said in agreement. "It's one of the most iconic action movie quotes and they tarnish it by censoring it."

"Exactly." Yang replied.

Sometime later, the screen showed Spruce crawling through the air ducts muttering to himself.

"You know," Jaune said, "this scene always irks me. He's crawling through a metal air duct and he's talking to himself. First, metal isn't exactly silent when you crawl on it. Second, the echoes are going to reverberate off the walls and out the vents. At some point, one of the terrorists is going to hear him."

"Huh." Yang muttered with a raised eyebrow. "Never really thought of that until now." They decided to watch the rest of the movie in silence, just so they wouldn't be talking over an important scene.

It was during a slow scene that Yang's gaze fell on Jaune. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something different about him. It wasn't his hair since he never changed it up. The dilemma wracked her brain until her eyes fell upon a piece of clothing he was wearing. It made so much sense now: he wasn't wearing his signature hoodie and armor.

It was a bit surprising for Yang considering the only time Jaune didn't have his hoodie and armor on was during non-combative classes. In those, they were required to wear their school uniforms and nothing else.

Gazing at Jaune without his signature equipment, she noticed that he had gotten slightly bigger over the year, not in body fat, but in muscle build. He may not be as bulky as the guys she was into, but he was a far cry from the noodle he was when he first came to Beacon. She then glanced at his arms, which had developed some muscle as well and seemed to hug the sleeve of his shirt. 'Wow,' Yang thought as her cheeks turned slightly pink, 'guess Pyrrha's training really paid off.'

"Y-Yang?"

"Huh?" Jaune's question suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts. She blinked a few times before noticing that Jaune was looking at her with concern. "Oh…sorry Jaune." She said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much." Jaune said. "It's just that you were staring at me for a while now. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Yang said with a wave of her hand. "I just noticing that you didn't have your hoodie and armor on."

Jaune glanced down and smiled as calmness washed over him. He looked back at her and said "Oh this? I was training downstairs in the basement and my hoodie got damp. I put it in the washer and my armor is upstairs."

"Oh," Yang said once the truth was revealed, "sorry, it's just….I've never seen you wear anything other than your hoodie and school uniform."

Jaune paused for a bit as he contemplated that bit of information. It was true that while at Beacon, he had only worn his hoodie and school uniform. But then again, Beacon had a pretty strict dress code, second only to Atlas. "Well," Jaune began as he scratched his head, "I guess I never really needed to use this shirt. I mostly kept it around in case of an emergency."

"Hmm" Yang said, turning her attention back to the TV. After a few minutes, however, she said "You know, you should wear it more often. It looks good on you."

"Oh." Jaune said, a bit surprised that Yang made that comment. "Um…d-duly noted. Thanks for the advice." Yang only nodded before turning her attention back to the movie.

It's wasn't long before McCain and his wife left with Fargyle and the credits began to roll. Jaune then turned the TV off and began to stretch while Yang rose from her spot and made to leave for her room. Jaune suddenly got an idea and when Yang was at the foot of the stairs, he said "Wait, Yang." The girl stopped and looked at him. "I was just wondering," he began while scratching his head, "maybe we could do this again sometime. You and me, watching a movie, just…hanging out." He took notice of her impassive expression and quickly added, "I-I mean, that's if you want to. I don't want to put any pressure on you. I-I just thought it would be a nice way to hang out. A-As friends, of course."

Yang continued to say nothing as she made her way up the stairs, resulting in Jaune's face to shatter in disappointment. Halfway up though, she paused and looked down at him. After a minute of silence, she said, "Sure."

"W-What?" Jaune asked in surprise by Yang's answer.

"Your idea of hanging out and watching movies…I'm willing to do it." She said. She then pointed her finger at Jaune and said, "But no romantic comedies; they're cheesy as hell. So no Nottingham Hill or 30 First Dates."

Jaune only smiled as he chuckled and said, "Sure thing Yang." Yang returned a small smile as she continued upstairs. Jaune sighed contently and turned the TV back on. 'At least she agreed.' Jaune thought to himself, 'that's a start.'

And thus concludes another chapter for Love Heals All Wounds. Well guys, I have an announcement. After I publish the next chapter for my My Hero Academia story, I will be taking a break from writing from May 21st to June 17th. Even writers need vacations.

But that doesn't necessarily mean I am abandoning my current stories. I just need to "recharge my batteries" so to speak...and now I'm reminded of Penny. Excuse me...

*Twenty minutes of crying later...*

Anyway, don't forget to favorite, review, and follow for more updates. And of course, kudos to Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov for beta reading this chapter. Next time on Love Heals All Wounds...there will be some angst, though not as much as the second chapter.

Until next time, this is AnimeFan299110 encouraging you all to go out with a Yang...I'm not even going to say it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **And thus concludes another chapter for Love Heals All Wounds. Well guys, I have an announcement. After I publish the next chapter for my My Hero Academia story, I will be taking a break from writing from May 21st to June 17th. Even writers need vacations.**
> 
> **But that doesn't necessarily mean I am abandoning my current stories. I just need to "recharge my batteries" so to speak...and now I'm reminded of Penny. Excuse me...**
> 
> ***Twenty minutes of crying later...***
> 
> **Anyway, don't forget to favorite, review, and follow for more updates. And of course, kudos to Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov for beta reading this chapter. Next time on Love Heals All Wounds...there will be some angst, though not as much as the second chapter.**
> 
> **Until next time, this is AnimeFan299110 encouraging you all to go out with a Yang...I'm not even going to say it anymore.**


	5. Letters to Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang wakes up from another nightmare to find a certain blonde reading over a pad of paper.

**Hey guys, this is AnimeFan299110 coming at you with the latest chapter of Love Heals All Wounds! This chapter was suggested by one of my followers Agent-G, who many of you know as the writer behind such Dragonslayer-featured story such as Stag Night, Girl Talk, and of course, Heart to Heart. If you haven't already, check his page out, his stories are awesome and worth reading.**

**As usual, I do not own RWBY. It is the property of Rooster Teeth and the late, great Monty Oum. Let's get started!**

* * *

_Yang's eyes opened as she felt a cold, unpleasant aura form around her. She found herself in a dark, ruined version of Vale. There was an eerie silence in the air that was only interrupted by the howling wind. She saw blood that was spluttered and smeared on the rubble and buildings. It was as if she was in hell._

_"Help…help!" A child's voice called out to her right. Shaking off the scene around her, Yang ran towards the cries until she reached a house with the roof caved in. She then kicked down the door to find a little with her back facing Yang and crying._

_"Hey, what's wrong?" Yang asked in concern._

_"My daddy and little sister," the girl said before pointing at a closed door. "They're both dead."_

_"Wait right here," Yang said, "I'll go check up on them." She reached for the handle and tried to turn it, but the knob wouldn't budge. She then shoved her shoulder against the door in the hopes of opening it. It took a few hits before the door finally burst open to reveal…_

_"D-Dad? R-Ruby?"_

_Yang's blood went cold and her eyes widened as she gazed upon the dead bodies of her father and sister. Ruby was lying face down with her throat slit while Tai was facing upwards with what looked like finger marks around his throat._

_"They're dead." The little girl's voice said, causing Yang to turn around. The girl lifted her head and Yang's breathing became ragged as she looked at her younger self. "They're dead because of you."_

_Yang began stepping back in shock and fear as the house suddenly collapsed around her. Soon she found herself alone with the bodies of her sister and father. As she looked down on them, Yang felt as though her soul was ripped apart and she collapsed on her knees. "R-Ruby? D-Dad?" She asked, her voice shaking. "Y-You gotta get up. We gotta stop the Grimm." Her legs soon gave out and her knees hit the floor. "Get up; this isn't funny anymore." She then took a hand from both of them and gripped them tightly just as her tears began to flow. "Please…" She said, her voice breaking, "I can't do this alone…I need you both."_

_"Well, isn't this a sight to behold." Yang froze in fear, for she knew who that voice belonged to. Her fears were confirmed when she turned around to see Adam Taurus smirking at her. Fear soon turned into anger as she remembered what he had done to her._

_"You bastard!" Yang cried out. "You did this; you killed them!" It was then that Adam started laughing, causing Yang's eyes to widen in confusion._

_"I killed them?" Adam asked with amusement. "You're mistaken, Yang Xiao Long. I didn't kill them; you did! You're the reason they're all dead."_

_"All dead?" Yang asked. "What are you talk-" Her breath soon hitched and her pupils shrunk when she saw that more bodies had appeared around her and Adam. Her eyes fleeted back and forth as she saw the bodies of Weiss, Blake, Teams JNPR and CFVY, her teachers, Qrow, and various others, all dead and lifeless._

_"That's right, Xiao Long," Adam said as he moved closer, "they're all dead because of you. If you weren't so reckless and actually thought before you acted, maybe some of them would still be alive."_

_Rage boiled in Yang once more as Adam's words seeped into her. She made to attack him, but the dark pool of blood glued her feet to the ground, making her unable to move forward. She struggled desperately as Adam unsheathed his sword. When he was a foot away from her, Yang tried to punch him, but he easily dodged it and trapped it between his arm and body._

_"Now then," he asked as he raised the sword above his head and smirked, "how about we complete the set?" Yang's face paled as she saw the sword swing downward._

* * *

"NO!" Yang cried out as she sat upright and reached her hand out for something. As her vision cleared, she realized that she was reaching out for nothing. As she breathed rapidly, she found herself in her room at home. One glance at the clock showed the time to be 1:30 a.m. She then settled back onto her bed and placed an arm over his eyes. 'A dream.' She thought. 'Just another dream.'

She sighed sadly; this was the seventh nightmare this week and it was only Wednesday. Not a day went by when she wouldn't get at least one per night. Some were the same, while others were completely different. She had had this particular dream before, but Adam would never talk that much. Normally he would have simply taunted her or cut off her arm without a moment's hesitation before making for her head. As she sat up in bed, the word "reckless" rang through her mind in whispers.

'But what if he's right?' She thought. 'What if I'm so reckless I could get everyone killed?' Before the fall of Beacon, she was known to jump in headfirst at the first sign of a conflict, not thinking before doing. It was because of these actions that she sometimes lost her fights or caused more harm than good. She then wiped her forehead and felt a bit of nightly grease rub against her arm. 'Maybe a good face wash will help clear my head.' She thought. She got out of bed and slowly opened the door before making her way to the bathroom.

"No, that's not going to work either."

Yang snapped her head back at the voice she had heard downstairs. Worried that someone had broken into her house, she slowly crept across the floor so as to not alert any intruders. It was when she came down the stairs and peered over the railing that she noticed a dim light coming from the kitchen. Another closer look quelled her fears when she saw a familiar blonde knight sitting at the kitchen table facing away from her with an oil lantern burning next to him.

Yang noticed that Jaune was muttering to himself over a pad of paper. After a minute or two, he would rip off a sheet of paper, crumple it, and try to toss it into the trash can. He would then scribble a few words before pausing once again.

"What are you doing?"

"AAH!" Jaune cried out as he leapt a few inches into the air. Yang put a finger to her lips and then pointed at the stairs. Jaune noticed immediately and covered his mouth. After waiting a minute to make sure they didn't wake up Tai or Zwei, Jaune removed his hands. "Yang, you scared me. What are you doing up?"

Yang paused before she said, "Couldn't sleep. Plus I saw the light in the kitchen."

"Oh," Jaune said sheepishly, "sorry."

The two then became silent as they heard Tai snort loudly in his sleep. When it was evident that he wasn't coming downstairs, Yang broke the tension when she asked, "So….what are you doing up so late?"

Jaune glanced down at the notepad and pen and sighed. "I've…I've been trying to write my family a letter to let them know how I'm doing. I mean, I should let them know that I'm okay," Jaune's features then darkened, "but after all that happened at Beacon, I just didn't know what to say. The last time I wrote to them, I told them that I was going to see a friend before the final match of the Vytal Tournament and that I would be in touch. But that was a long time ago."

Yang said nothing as she grabbed a nearby chair and sat down next to him. Her eyes soon gazed upon the balled up pieces of paper that littered the floor. Jaune clearly had trouble knowing what to write. "So," she said after a few minutes of silence, "how are you doing?"

"I've…been better." Jaune said solemnly as he averted her gaze.

Yang rubbed her arm above the missing part. "Yeah, I know that feeling." Once again, silence filled the room as the two blondes directed their attention away from each other. Yang leaned down and picked up one of the crumpled pieces of paper. She unfurled it to read:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I wanted to let you know that I'm ~~okay~~

"Look," she said, directing her attention back to Jaune after looking at the crossed out 'okay', "why don't we look through these crumpled balls? Maybe we can get something out of them. It might help you get to bed faster."

"Okay, sure." The blonde male said. He began picking up the balled-up paper off the ground. Yang did the same, though it was hard to do with just one arm. She sighed; the loss of an arm was certainly a burden she did not think she would bear. True, she had heard stories about huntsmen and huntresses getting severely injured on the job. But she had never imagined it happening to her, let alone her friends and teammates.

For the next few minutes, the two blondes picked up the scraps of paper in total silence. They soon found themselves back in their respective seats, the table littered with balled-up pieces of paper. "Okay; let's see what we can use." Yang said as she and Jaune began unfurling the paper. The first piece Yang opened read:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I wanted to let you know that I'm okay ~~and that you don't need to worry about me.~~

'Okay, that could be something.' She thought as she set the paper aside and picked up another piece that read:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I wanted to let you know that I'm ~~fine.~~

'That could work as well.' She thought, setting said paper alongside the other. She then unfurled the next piece and was shocked at what she read.

The paper was literally covered with words. There was no sentence structure, no "Dear Mom and Dad", and all the words were written in random sizes. However, she noticed that they consisted of the same three words:

**_Weak_ **

**_Pathetic_ **

**_Failure_ **

"What's that one say?"

Jaune's words snapped Yang back to reality and she glanced over at the knight. Seeing Jaune's quizzical face and knowing what he had been through, she knew she couldn't let him see what he had written on that piece of paper. He had been through so much already without having to be reminded of how he felt about himself. "N-Nothing," she said, crumpling up the paper and tossing it aside, "it only said 'Dear Mom and Dad' on it."

"Oh, okay." Jaune said casually. Soon, several pieces of paper were open and laid out on the table.

"Okay," Yang said, "Let's begin. How about we start with 'Dear Mom and Dad,'." Jaune nodded and wrote the words down. "'I am writing to let you know that I'm...'" Yang stopped as she looked at Jaune. What could she suggest he write? Okay? Fine? Doing well? Knowing Jaune and what he had been through, she knew he was far from any of those. "'...I'm alive.'" Yang said, to which Jaune wrote down. "'I was able to get out of Beacon safely, but I lost a teammate there...'" It was as she said it that she realized her mistake. "I...I mean..." She stuttered as Jaune looked at her. "Jaune, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean..."

"It's okay." Jaune said, "I...I want to tell them the truth. I don't think I should sugarcoat what happened." He continued to write down Yang's words until he paused and looked at her to continue. Even though he said it was okay that she mentioned Pyrrha, Yang could tell by the hurt in his eyes that Jaune was lying.

Regardless, she cleared her throat and continued, "'The rest of my team was able to escape and we were taken to the island of Patch where one of my friend's dad lives and where I'm currently staying at the moment.'"

For the next hour, Yang and Jaune continued to switch back and forth in that manner. Yang would tell him what to write and he would do so. There were moments when Jaune would continuously write even when Yang didn't say anything. It was like part of him knew what to write next without her help. Then there were moments when he would set his pen down and close his eyes to compose himself. Yang, on her part, decided to let him be and not pry into what was bothering him. She figured that it was Jaune's problem and that she shouldn't intervene.

Finally after a few adjustments and revisions, Jaune put down his name and handed the letter to Yang. She took the paper and read it to herself.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I am writing to let you know that I am alive. The rest of my team and I were able to escape and we were taken to the island of Patch where one of my friend's dad lives and where I'm currently staying at the moment._

_Unfortunately, we weren't without casualties. I lost a teammate at Beacon; my partner, Pyrrha Nikos. She was probably the best partner and friend anyone could ask for. She trained me to be better in combat. Whenever I was down, she was there to pick me back up. And when I needed a friend, she was kind and caring enough to be there for you. I'm sure you two would have loved her if you met. Heck, I bet the girls would have loved her too, though only to get the scope on something embarrassing I did at Beacon._

_I know you two would want me to come home and stay with you and the others, but I can't. I can't just run away from the world's problems and not do anything. I want to help out in any way I can and at least find a way to stop those who caused Beacon and Vale to fall. I once asked you to accept my desire to attend Beacon, now I'm asking you to respect my wishes and let me do what I think is right._

_Please let the girls, including Saphron, know that I'm both okay and safe. I love you both and I miss you so much._

_Forever your son,_

_Jaune Arc_

"I think it's good." Yang said after the look-over. She then tri-folded it and stuck it into an empty envelope that was on the counter before licking it shut.

"Excellent," Jaune said as he held up the envelope, "now all that's left is to write out the address and mail it."

"You can do that in the morning." Yang said as she stood up. "But right now, you need to get to bed."

Jaune nodded; writing the letter late at night did take a lot out of him. He rose and walked carefully up the stairs so as to not wake Tai and Zwei. Once he reached his respective door, he turned to Yang and said, "Thanks Yang, I really appreciate the help tonight."

"No problem." Yang shrugged. She waited until Jaune walked into his room and out of sight before she entered hers. As she walked by the mirror, she paused and leaned into it to pull a few strands away from her face. Looking at her reflection, she remembered the words she had seen on that scrap of paper:

_Weak_

_Pathetic_

_Failure_

A closer look at the mirror caused those words to echo in her head. 'I'm just like him.' She thought. 'I'm all of those words in a bundle.' Deciding not to deny that concept, Yang crawled into bed and did her best to sleep with those three words bouncing around in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **And another chapter comes to a close.**
> 
> **Kudos again to Agent-G for suggesting this idea.**
> 
> **Don't forget to like, follow, and comment.**
> 
> **Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up before the year ends. So keep your fingers crossed and I will see you all next time.**


End file.
